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Michael McComie is at his old tricks again registering this week as coach/player of Ma Pau SC just three months after taking up the job as head coach of the job.

The former Joe Public coach revealed that his new profile while mainly assist the Reserves and that assistant coach Angus Eve is also expected to sign as coach/player in the upcoming week.

“I have to rest as much players as possible,” the 2007 Toyota Classic and FA Trophy winning coach McComie said. “It’s just about rotating players because of important matches that are ahead of us. Our (Angus and McComie) participation will only be in the Reserves and not the Pro Team. We are feeling good enough to play and I think it will give us a better way of working with the players and understanding them.”

In 2006, the year McComie won the League championship, he was registered as coach/player at Joe Public and that seemed to work for him.

McComie is expected to suit-up (today) Thursday 16 July for Ma Pau SC Reserves when they face Police FC Reserves from 7pm at the Marvin Lee Stadium. Ma Pau are currently fourth in the Reserve standings while Police are way down in eight.

It’s possible that McComie a former goalkeeper could wear the gloves preferring to rest Gefferson George for Saturday’s Round One Match Day Eleven clash in the Senior League against San Juan Jabloteh with second choice goalkeeper Shane Mattis suffering a minor injury.

But McComie’s real strength is in his coaching and only after three months, Ma Pau SC is showing their worth sitting fifth on the Digicel Pro League standings—the senior division of the Pro League.

On Tuesday Ma Pau registered a 1-0 victory over defending champions and leaders San Juan Jabloteh in a rescheduled Round Two Match Day Four meeting. The item was scored by Tobagonian Trevin Caesar.

“Credit must go to the players but at the same time I think the structure that Angus (Eve) and I have placed in the club is having a greater impact than what the club had last season. That’s more or less setting the tone to what is taking place on the field,” Mc Comie explained.

McComie boasted that it’s his 8th straight victory against San Juan Jabloteh as a coach remembering his Toyota Classic triumph in 2007 when Joe Public defeated the San Juan based club in the Final.

“The main focus is for the boys to be competitive and we are doing just that,” added McComie. “Even when we lose it’s by one goal margins. We really are losing to teams below us and this is because we are going out against the lesser clubs with an amateur status, but when it comes to the bigger clubs we are doing much better. We have defeated Army, Joe Public and Jabloteh and we are only focusing on our next match—no emphasis on placement. Although it’s a young and improving team, I don’t think we will have what is required to win the League this year.”

McComie looks forward to another impressive result when they tackle Jabloteh again on Saturday in Round One Match Day Eleven at the Ato Boldon Stadium from 3pm.

“It’s a new game so the players will take it on their own merit. We will be coming out for the same result. Angus and I are seeing a lot of flaws in Jabloteh especially in the midfield although they are playing cohesive football,” he added. “I have to say though that Jabloteh were much easier when Fenwick was there—hence the eight wins. I just think that the players are struggling a bit at the moment with the new system that Earl (Jean) is trying to implement.”

Meanwhile, W Connection head coach Stuart Charles Fevrier is currently observing teenaged trialist Alisune Bungura of Sierra Leone as the club aims to boost their squad with the 2009/2010 CONCACAF Champions’ League in mind.

The 18 year old Bungura of Sierra Leone has been on trial over the last week and needs to impress Fevrier for one more week if he is to secure a contract with the reigning CFU Club Champions.

“But we need to see him a bit more and will do so over another week. We want to make a decision on if he will fit directly into our senior team or if we would keep him for development,” continued the Connection coach.

Fevrier added that Bungura will most likely he will be a W Connection player at the end of his trial.

Bungura was recommended to the Couva based club by former Connection player Charlie Wright who is now a coach in the Sierra Leone premier league.

In 1999—W Connection’s first season as a professional club—Sierra Leone players Charlie Wright and Abdullah Conte was part of coach Fevrier’s setup.

Wright and Conte have since then kept in contact with the club following that season according to Fevrier.

This season Connection have released strikers Colombian Oscar Torijano and preseason signing Kevon Woodley who weren’t fitting into Fevrier’s system this season. Torijano who sparked to fame after joining the club in 2008 and Woodley following a good showing for United Petrotrin failed to impress in the early part of this season for Connection and were overshadowed by Dominican Republic striker Jonathon Frias.

“It’s always difficult to find quality players. But at the club we always try our best to make the best of what we have. Torijano requested to go back home and we fulfilled that. His spirit just wasn’t with us this season,” explained Fevrier.

W Connection are up against Red Bull New York in the preliminary round of the CONCACAF Champions’ League which begins later this month. Connection will host the MLS club on July 30 at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium and will visit the Americans on August 5.

Fevrier explained, “Preparations for our CONCACAF preliminary round matches coming along well because we are in actual competition (in the Digicel Pro League) and this is providing good preparation for us. We have definitely improved in our last few matches and that’s good for us because we want the League as well this season.”